Main headlights stay on my 98 taurus wg

[brick43]

Today when I shut my car off the main headlights stayed on, the head light switch was in the off position. So I started pulling fuses when I pulled out the to low beam fuses left and right in the interior the lights went out. I then put them back in and the lights came back on. So then I went to the fuses box under the hood and pulled the drl fuse and the lights stayed on, so i figured that ruled out the drlights. Then next I pulled the 30 amp main headlamp fuse under the hood and the lights went out, I then plugged it back in and the lights stayed out. Next I started the car and the drl lights came on, shut the car off and the lights went out, next I started it again but this time I turned the switch for the headlights on the dash, the main lights came on but once again when I turned the car off with the main switch on the dash off, the main headlights stayed on. Once again I pulled the 30 amp fuse under the hood and the lights went out and put the fuse back in the lights stayed out. I repeated this process several times with the same result. any Ideas is it maybe the switch or some relay, I'm puzzled

[Johnny Mullet]

Try unplugging the DRL module. It's located behind the bumper on the driver's side.

[brick43]

I took my car to the mech and they discovered it was a blown fuse on the tail light circuit and the headlights stayed on because the way ford has wired their cars the power was looking for away out. I'm not sure i believe this but the headlights are staying out and everthing else is working and my bill was only 20 so I can live explanation as long as I have no more troubles.

[tripletdaddy]

I guess that's a pretty good deal considering how much time you must have put into it and not able to fix it. The explaination is not what I would have expected either. I'll have to look at some wiring diagrams to see if that can really happen. As you say, it just not what one would have expected. I am surprised though your light out indicator didn't come on if you have one, unless it doesn't indicate when the fuse is out. Dunno. But, thanks for sharing with us what need to be done, as I was stumped and interested to know what was wrong. Thanks!

I looked at your and a similiar vehicle's wiring, and I think your mechanic is blowing smoke on his explaination but the repair was right. The diagrams just don't bear out anything that would support his reasoning. For some reason I thought I've heard of this scenario before where the headlights will stay on if lights out are detected, but based on what I saw in the diagrams, the only way those lights could have stayed on was maybe by the DRL module, a stretch or something else is in the wiring like I said above for a light out and maybe using the DRL system to energize the lights. Dunno.

[brick43]

Anyway everthing has been good since

[mikeemon]

I have never had a Taurus with DRL. I have had 10+ of these cars from a 1991 to 2006. There is the auto lamp system. That has a timer to keep the lights on for a variable amount of time after the engine is shut off. The time is set by a roller type switch next to the HL switch. The system turns lights on when dark and off when bright.

[shorod]

Have you ever owned a Taurus in Canada, where DRL is the norm on a Taurus?

-Rod

[mikeemon]

No. You learn something new every day. Are they required up there?

[shorod]

Not sure if it's required, but it seems like every poster on this forum that has issues with their DRL lives in Canada (like brick43).

-Rod